Cardiac arrest? There's an app for that in Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ &GT;&GT; When someone is unconscious and not breathing, the seconds it takes to provide CPR separates life from death.

Thursday, Santa Cruz County 911 dispatchers, police and firefighters touted a new smartphone application called PulsePoint that connects victims with people trained in CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Within about 20 seconds of a 911 call for cardiac arrest, the application alerts PulsePoint users within walking distance of the victim so they can help.

There is no obligation to respond to the person, but bystanders who start chest compressions before paramedics arrive can increase a person's chances of survival, according to the American Heart Association.

"This gets the CPR-trained people to where they're needed," said Dennis Kidd, general manager of the Santa Cruz Regional 911 Center.

A related mobile app, PulsePoint AED, also locates defibrillators in the area — which essentially provide an electric shock to restart the heart. Both the apps are free and work on Apple iPhones and Android devices. They can be downloaded at the Apple App Store.

The app originated in San Ramon Valley, after its fire chief was in a restaurant and was unaware that someone had gone into cardiac arrest next door until fire crews showed up. He essentially thought, there's got to be an app for that, and made it happen in 2009.

More than 75,000 people have downloaded the app in 18 states since its launch. It has been available in Santa Cruz County for about four weeks, and authorities put on a media event at the Santa Cruz Regional 911 Center near DeLaveaga Golf Course on Thursday.

Aptos/La Selva Fire Chief Jeff Terpstra played a big role in bringing the app to Santa Cruz by talking to leaders of the 911 center about it a year ago.

The app costs the 911 dispatch center $5,000 annually, Kidd said, and "It would be silly for us not to be a part of this because I know it will help save lives."

Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in the nation, accounting for about 325,000 deaths each year, authorities said.

Because there is no up-to-date map of all the defibrillators in Santa Cruz County, Kidd said he hopes users will take pictures of the devices and upload them to the site to create a fuller picture of their locations.

While promoting the app, authorities also encouraged people to take a CPR course or refresher course to gain the confidence to use their life-saving skills.

"To me, some CPR is better than no CPR," said Terpstra, the Aptos/La Selva fire chief.

"We want people to act."

For 66-year-old Soquel resident Bill Gile, bystanders and a well-placed defibrillator saved his life after he suffered from cardiac arrest at Mineta San Jose International Airport in 2006. Gile had just returned from the East Coast about 10 p.m. and was in the baggage claim area when he fell flat on his face, he said.

"I busted my head open," he said, and formed a pool of blood on the floor.

A woman who had just taken a CPR class rushed toward him, as well as a San Jose police officer assigned to the airport and others. Someone grabbed a defibrillator, which were relatively new but ubiquitous at the airport, and shocked him back to life.

Gile was taken by ambulance to O'Connor Hospital in San Jose and surgeons implanted two stents in his chest, he said.

"I was clinically gone for two minutes and 37 seconds, roughly," Gile said Thursday. Now, he said, "Every day's a blessing."

Gile attended the PulsePoint event at the Santa Cruz Regional 911 Center to support the app and promote defibrillators, which cost about $1,000 at Costco, Amazon.com and many other retailers.

Smartphone app

What: A smartphone application called PulsePoint connects people trained in CPR with real-time cardiac emergencies within walking distance. The app has been launched in 18 states and launched recently in Santa Cruz County in cooperation with the Santa Cruz Regional 911 Center.

Why: Bystanders can start CPR or find a defibrillator to help a patient survive before paramedics arrive.

How: PulsePoint and PulsePoint AED apps can be downloaded on Android devices and at the Apple App Store for Apple iPhones.